


Symptoms of Love

by biscuitsandgravy



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Slice of Life, Vacation, unfortunate allergies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 05:19:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3369275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biscuitsandgravy/pseuds/biscuitsandgravy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei saves up for months to visit Makoto in Tokyo (and to tour universities, of course). Too bad even beautiful plans don't always work out quite the way you want them to...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Symptoms of Love

All his life, Rei had been able to endure lots of boring things. He liked to believe it was his ability to entertain himself due to his boundless (and beautiful) imagination and his appreciation for reading. Certain other people (short blond penguin enthusiasts who shall remain nameless, for example) would say it was because Rei had to use all of his brainpower to stop his chest hairs from growing out. But the truth was, with a book or without, Rei had always been good at occupying his mind during long periods of time; his parents said it made him an excellent traveling companion.

 

This plane ride, though, was almost the end of him. Normally, Rei enjoyed thinking about the physics behind the miracle of flight. He enjoyed reading the magazines in the seat pockets. He even enjoyed people watching (he blamed Nagisa for introducing him to that hobby). 

 

Today was different. From the moment he sat down, Rei was impatient and anxious. Why is it taking everyone so long to find their seat? Why did the plane have to wait in a queue behind so many other planes? How hard is it for the people in the anterior rows to pick their snack and drink? Does the woman next to him really think it was necessary to give him that look just for jiggling his leg? 

 

He brought books, of course. Rei Ryuugazaki would never be unprepared! But for some reason, all the books he brought couldn’t hold his attention for more than a few minutes. Rei started a pattern: reading a page of his book, realizing he hadn’t absorbed a word of it, checking his watch, sighing when only a minute had passed, and ignoring the woman’s annoyed sigh in the seat next to him. Repeat. He even tried napping, but could barely close his eyes before hearing a noise that he hoped was the captain announcing their descent.

 

In Rei’s defense, his trip today is special. He had saved up for months, doing extra chores for his neighbors and refraining from buying snacks, even being so scrupulous as to refuse to let his parents help him pay for it.

 

All because he wanted to go to Tokyo. 

 

He told everyone that he wanted to visit various universities in the area, but the way Nagisa smiled and winked when he first announced his intentions to visit made it clear that his best friend saw right through him. 

 

Honestly, he would tour a university in Antarctica if it meant he could stay with Makoto during his visit.

 

Rei blushed just thinking about it. Not that he had perverse intentions! But Makoto and Rei had only been dating for a short time before Makoto had to move away from their hometown. They had continued their relationship through long phone calls, picture messages, video chats, and care packages, but nothing could replace the feeling of just _being_ with each other.

 

Now if only this damn plane would land so that Rei could start the best vacation of his life.

 

***

 

Even though Rei is impatient today, he doesn’t let that impact his sense of etiquette. When the plane finally does land, he waits for the families with children and women traveling alone to leave the plane before he gathers his things (he even moves out of the way for the irritated woman next to him).

 

The wait is worth it, though. As he walks towards baggage claim he sees the familiar towering figure of Makoto, and he has to fight the urge not to run directly into his arms. Instead, he plays it cool as he walks toward his boyfriend.

 

“Rei, it’s good to see you! How was your flight?” Makoto asks, with that smile that could light up a stadium.

 

“It was fine, Makoto-senpai. Just long,” Rei says, finding that he can’t look Makoto in the eyes at the moment. Were his eyes always this green? How is it possible that he looks so beautiful in glasses and a t-shirt?

 

As the two wait for Rei’s suitcase, Rei can’t help but notice how Makoto stands close enough to him that their arms are touching.

 

***

 

Because Makoto is the perfect gentleman, he carries Rei’s suitcase to the transportation area, and even holds Rei’s carry-on backpack while Rei waits in line to pay for his bus ticket into the city. Rei tries to protest when Makoto buys his own bus ticket, but Makoto wouldn’t think of making Rei pay for both of them.

 

“You already saved up for your plane ticket! I can manage this,” Makoto assures him as they wait for the next coach bus.

 

“I would pay any amount for the chance to spend time with you,” Rei says, looking at Makoto’s knees because he can hardly believe he’s saying something so affectionate while in a public place. Out of the corner of his eye, Rei can’t help but notice how Makoto blushes all the way to his ears.

 

***

 

Makoto and Rei begin to chat as the bus takes them into the city, but hours of anticipation has a way of wearing you out, and Rei soon finds himself drifting off despite the afternoon sun. He doesn’t sleep deeply, so he’s still aware of how Makoto uses the opportunity to take Rei’s hand into his larger one and stroke Rei’s palm with his thumb. Rei pretends he’s too tired to control how his head lolls onto Makoto’s shoulder on his left, instead of the window on his right (even though he always prefers to turn his head to the right when he sleeps).

 

As they approach their stop, Makoto gently wakes Rei by patting his knee and whispering. “We’ll be there soon,” and since Rei was barely dozing he immediately straightens his posture. In less than 15 minutes, the two of them are thanking their bus driver as Makoto again carries both of Rei’s bags down the steps and onto the sidewalk. Rei can finally stretch now, but decides to let Makoto continue carrying his bags.

 

“It’s this way,” Makoto says, pointing down the street they’re on. “Sorry, but we’ll have to walk a bit, then take another train to get there.”

 

Of course Makoto would apologize for something like that. “That’s perfect, Makoto-senpai! I feel like I’ve hardly had a chance to stretch my legs all day!” And Rei really doesn’t mind, because Makoto points out all sorts of things along the way: restaurants he’s been to, vending machines that sometimes give you an extra drink (if you pick blended coffee), buildings with beautiful lobbies. 

 

When they finally reach their destination, Rei feels more alert but his legs are tired. He’s thinking about how ready he is to sit down and finally hold Makoto’s hand without hiding it between their seats as Makoto unlocks the door to his apartment. Inside, the room that he can see is clean and sparsely furnished. Rei immediately notices several framed pictures as he takes off his shoes, and he’s just starting to walk over to them when he sees a flash of orange, black, and white.

 

“Oh, that’s Saba,” Makoto says, right behind him. “I knew she would be nervous at first, but she’ll get used to you.”

 

Rei doesn’t even want to ask, but he has to. “…Your cat is named-“ 

 

Makoto cuts him off with a deep sigh. “Yes, that’s her name, but no, I was not the one who named her. You can probably guess who did,” he says sheepishly.

 

“Well, I suppose it’s not surprising, after what Haruka-senpai wanted to name those goldfish he won,” Rei says, laughing. He rubs his eyes, which are suddenly watering. _I wasn’t laughing that hard?_ , he thinks.

 

Makoto goes to sit on the couch in the middle of the room, and Rei soon joins him. Finally, Makoto can put his arm around Rei without feeling embarrassed. Rei can tell he’s still a little shy- they barely had time to get used to making physical contact before Makoto moved to Tokyo. Still, it’s nice to sit on the couch together, and Rei nestles his face in the crook between Makoto’s neck and shoulder. Until Rei sneezes so hard that he bumps Makoto’s ear.

 

“Rei, are you alright?” Rei is mortified, of course, but Makoto doesn’t notice as he jumps up to get Rei a tissue.

 

“My apologies, Makoto-senpai,” Rei says as he tries to retain any shred of dignity while blowing his nose. “I am simply not used to the air quality in the city!” 

 

“You seemed fine while we were walking around, though,” Makoto says, reminding Rei that Makoto’s reputation of “swim team mom” was not for no reason.

 

Makoto settled into the couch again, and Rei again leans his head on Makoto’s shoulder and closes his eyes. They had talked on the phone often enough that they didn’t feel like they had to do anything other than share each other’s company. Makoto’s hand drifts to Rei’s leg and he rubs it gently, but he feels another rub on his calf. Knowing there is no way Makoto’s arms could be that long, Rei opens his eyes to see Makoto’s cat rubbing itself against his pant leg.

 

“Oh, I knew she would warm up to having a guest,” Makoto says, leaning over to pick up his ridiculously named cat. She is pretty, with a mostly white coat that has splotches of orange and black. Her blue eyes stare at Rei, as if judging him. He attempts to win her favor by scratching the top of her head. It seems to agree with her- until he sneezes again. Twice. Sneezing must be unacceptable in cat culture, and she flees Makoto’s lap.

 

“Rei, are you sure you’re okay?” Makoto says, eternally concerned. Rei does notice that his eyes are watering again, even though he’s not particularly upset about annoying the cat.

 

“Yes, I’m sure I’m fine. My only symptoms appear to be watery eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose, and those certain symptoms are usually only associated with allergies, of which I have none!” 

 

Makoto gasps. “Rei, are you sure you’re not allergic to cats? I didn’t notice this on the bus or at the airport, even while we were walking in the city…” he trails off.

 

Rei snorts derisively. “Of course not! Someone must just be talking about me! Surely if I were allergic to cats I would know by now! I am 18 years old and have never presented these symptoms before!” But as soon as Rei says it, he realizes that he’s never really been around cats before. None of his friends had pets growing up, and the only time he’d seen them was when Haru would feed the stray cats around his house. Rei’s thoughts are interrupted by another round of sneezes. He counts four. Rei groans. “I’m supposed to stay here for five nights…”

 

“Rei, let’s go and get you something to eat. It will be easier for us to think about it when you’re not sneezing,” Makoto says as he stands up. He offers Rei his hand and pulls him up too. Rei knows he’s right, but he had been so excited about staying with Makoto on his trip.

 

Rei and Makoto put their shoes on and leave. Neither of them are very hungry, so they go to a cafe and sit down at a table across from each other. Reid has stopped sneezing, but now the silence between them is sort of awkward.

 

“Rei, I’m so sorry. If I had known you were allergic I would have told you about Saba,” Makoto says softly.

 

“Makoto-senpai, please don’t feel bad. I didn’t know either! But, I don’t know that I will be able to sleep very well if I’m sneezing all night,” Rei doesn’t want to say what he knows is true: he can’t stay with his boyfriend. “But there may be certain allergy medications that could alleviate my condition. Some medications do have the risk of making you drowsy, but I don’t know how I would react until I tried several…” he is thinking out loud now, his nervous habit of babbling contrasts against Makoto’s tendency to withdraw into his thoughts.

 

“I don’t want you to buy medications that may not even work. My father takes allergy medication in the springtime, but he has to take them for several days before it begins to help,” Makoto says, cutting off Rei’s rambling. “I think you will have to stay in a hotel.”

 

Rei stops, defeated. “Yes, that is the most logical conclusion.”

 

“Rei, it will be okay. We can still spend time together. But I want you to be comfortable while you’re here,” Makoto says, smiling gently. “Now, let’s go back to my place to get your things.”

 

***

 

When they get back to Makoto’s apartment, Rei waits outside while Makoto gets Rei’s bags. He hands Rei his backpack while Rei calls his parents to explain that his cost-efficient idea for free lodging on his vacation will not work out because of a previously unknown allergy. Rei’s mother is sympathetic, and offers to pay for his hotel costs. Makoto is looking up hotels, and finds a few reasonably priced ones nearby.

 

It is now early evening, and neither Rei nor Makoto are surprised to find that many hotels are already booked for the night. After trying a few (and passing on a few that only had wildly expensive rooms available), Rei finally finds one that has rooms, is relatively modern, and inexpensive. Again, Makoto holds Rei’s bags while he checks in at the counter. 

 

When Rei is checked in and the bellhop takes his bags, Rei half expects Makoto to say goodbye for the day. He’s glad when Makoto follows him into the elevator. They don’t say anything on the ride up, or as the bellhop is showing Rei to his room.

 

When Rei enters his room, again he expects Makoto to promise to call him later. 

 

Instead, Makoto sweeps Rei into a full hug as soon as the door is closed. Rei can feel Makoto’s face pressing into his hair and Makoto’s hands gently rubbing his back.

 

“Makoto-senpai?” Rei asks tentatively, his voice muffled against Makoto’s shirt. 

 

“Rei, I’m so sorry that your plans had to change like this,” Makoto says at last. 

 

“I am too. I looked forward to staying with you. And now we will only get to see each other during the day.”

 

Makoto pulls away, moving his hands to Rei’s shoulders. “What?” he asks, looking genuinely confused.

 

“Well, now I’ll be in this hotel and you’ll be several blocks away. It will be harder to coordinate meeting up,” Rei explains. He’s surprised when he sees Makoto’s face break into another warm smile.

 

“What makes you think I’m going to make you stay in this hotel all by yourself?” Makoto asks. “While I was getting your bags, I also fed Saba and grabbed a few of my own things.”

 

Rei blushes furiously. Maybe this trip won’t be a waste after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I HAD TO DO IT. I'M SORRY. (I'm not sorry.)
> 
> I wanted to finally write something for this fandom- I hope you liked it! I wanted to write something cute and fluffy. I just love Makoto as everyone's boyfriend. (Deleted scenes included Nagisa packing Rei a coloring book for his trip, as well as Rei calling Nagisa in agony and Nagisa coming up with the idea for the hotel.)
> 
> (My computer started autocorrecting "Makoto" to "Machete" a few times in there- I hope I fixed all of them!)


End file.
